Curious Question To Mothers: How Much “Me” Time Do You Take?

For my own curiosity, I’m hoping that many of you will take this poll to either reassure or nag me that the amount of “me” time I take is healthy. This unscientific poll can include EVERY kind of mother: Single mom, Single Mom By Choice, Married Mom, Stay-At-Home Mom, Divorced Mom, etc. (however you categorize yourself. I want to be inclusive).

This is an issue I have! I feel guilty if I do something for myself when my daughter is awake. Most of the time my “me” time is before she wakes up in the morning or after she goes to bed at night in the form of working out and showering.

My kids are a lot older now but, when my youngest was about 2 years old, I launched my own home-based business … specifically for the purpose of giving myself a non-mom interest so that I wouldn’t be consumed by motherhood just because I was a stay-at-home mom. It’s bad for your kids and for you and for your relationships with them if you have no life outside them. Eventually, they will be gone. If you don’t have anything of your own, outside of them, then it will be really, really hard to let them go.

I do try, as soon as they sleep, and I have had dinner, tidied up, got lunches ready for the next day, uniforms set, ironing done.. Then it’s 11pm and I have to choose between me time and sleep time!!! But recently it’s been me time as I have been trying to write something on the blog every day!!
Then, or first thing on the morning when they are hopefully still asleep, with a cup of tea and my ipad, to read posts on my reader!

There is no “right” amount of “me” time. No two mothers and no two children are the same. Do what you need to do and leave the guilt. I think it’s good for kids to learn they aren’t the center of the world, helps prevent them from turning into selfish little narcissists to have an opportunity to respect other people’s needs once in a while. When they were babies the only “me” time was when they slept and while I did my homework. Now they’re older I think it’s totally reasonable to let them do their own thing for a while. And a bit of space can help us all appreciate our “us” time more.

Not much each day….only starting to as an empty nester and it’s usually to read or write. Any me time is when the girlfriends invite me along to something. I do think we should all take better care of ourselves. I’m not a good example.